Controller for electrical signs



July 14, 1931. 'r. J. MAIN 1,814,943

' CGNTROLIVJER FOR ELECTRICAL sums v Filed; Feb. 3. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Iii/702m,

ATTORNEY.

Jply J. MAIN' 1,314,943

CONTROLLER FOR ELEGTKICAQSIGNi .Filed Feb." 5, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

July 14, 1931. T. J. MAIN 1,814,943

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRICAL SIGNS Fiiled Feb. 3. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet s I I l INVENTOR.

.ATTORNZ.

I frllllllllllllllll \7/2 July 14, 1931. T. J. MAIN 1,814,943

I CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRICALYSIGNS I Filed Feb. 3. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 VIII/ Ill I 61%: 3' 70 as j 7 I 17 F ,7 I INVENTOR. 1 1111mm,

ATTORNEY.

Patented July 14, 1931 wrists PATENT (JFFICE 'rnomes J. MAIN, or LAMAR, COLORADO CONTROLLER FOR. ELECTRICAL SIGNS Application filed February 3, 1928.

The present invention relates to an illuminated sign, and has for an object to provide a continuously operating sign with novel and direct means for closing in a circuit various selected groups of electric lamps in sequence and simultaneously according to the effects desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotating drum with conntacts thereon disposed and-constructed for attaining the above mentionend object by means of a minimum number of operating parts, and by a relatively small consumption of electrical energy. This feature of the sign admitting of the selective operation of individual and of groups of lamps to obtain the lighting of the lamps in any desired combination.

The invention also provides a novel distribution of the contacts about the drum and the rollers or traveling contacts on the drum, and a peculiar reverse arrangement of the rollers about the drum and contacts mounted on the drum; the arrangement being such that the drums may be relatively small and driven by a small motor and the entire device may be compact, and be easily manufactured and installed.

The above and various other objects and. advantages of this invention will in part be described in, and in part be understood from the following detailed description of the present preferred embodiment, the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings; wherein Figure 1 is a front-elevation of an illuminated sign constructed accord ng to the present invention, V

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic View of the sign, showing the wiring and circuit closing devices in relation to the lamps, Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section taken substantially centrally through the signas shown in igure 1,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section taken through the base of the sign, showing the drum and the contacts cooperating therewith,

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken through the drum and the contacts on the line 5-5 of Figure 4,

Serial No. 251,696.

Figure 6' is an end elevation of the drum. and adjacent row of contacts, looking in the direction indicated by the lines 66 of Figure 4,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary enlarged section taken through a portion of the drum, showing one form of mounting of the spring roller on the drum,

Figure 8 is an enlarged transverse section through one of the stationary contact supports, showing a slight modification in the mounting of the contact,

Figure 9 is adiagrammatic view, showing in plan the relation ofthe stationary and drum contacts, and

Figure 10 is a side elevation of a modified form of spring roller mounting.

Referring to the drawings, and first to Figures 1 and 3, 15 designates a base constructed in the form of a casing and above which is mounted a suitable frame 16. The base or casing.15 is ot a size. to accommodate the operative parts of the changeable sign, and the frame 16 may be divided into any desired number of compartments or chamhers containing and segregating the various groups of lamps and other details of the separate parts of the sign.

As shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, the casing 15 houses a drum 17, of fiber or other suitable electricity insulating material, which may be open ended and provided therein and between its ends with a supporting spider 18. The hub of the spider 18 is mounted on a shaft 19 projecting from the ends of the drum 17 and engaging at its ends in bear ings 20 seated on sills 21 secured in the opposite ends of the casing 15. Exteriorly on the drum is fixed a'worm gear 22, preferably in the plane of the spider 18, which meshes I The wire 31 leads to the motor and thenceto a contact roller 33 mounted in the end of the casing 15 and hearing at all times against the conducting ring 26. This is shown in Figure 2; A second roller 34 is mounted in the end of the. casing 15 and bears against the ring 26 and has a wire 35 which leads to a lamp 36 and to the other main wire 32.

' Thus the motor 25 and the lamp 36 are closed in the circuit without interruption. To operate the opposite lamp 37 it is connected by a wire. 38 to a fixed contact roller 39 carried by the circular support 29 in line with a contact strip 40 on the drum 17, the strip 40 being connected by wire 41 with the ring 26. The lamps 36 and 37 may be mounted in globes 42 arranged in compartments in the lower opposite corners of the frame 16, and may both be lighted at the same time.

The circular support 28 carries near one end a series of five contacts 43 having separate wires 44 leading therefrom to a row of lamps 45 to which the wires are individually connected. These contacts 43 are adapted to be. consecutively traversed by a contact roller 46 on the drum to light up the lamps 45 one at a time to spell out the separate letters in a word, or the like. The lamps 45 are connected to a. common return wire 47 which leads to the main wire 32. Successively arranged after the contacts 43 is a single contact 48 having a wire 49 which is connected to all of the lamps 45 at the side to which the individual wires 44 are connected so that all of the lam s 45 may be simultaneously lighted after t e lamps 45 have been separate? lighted, this being eflected by the elongate roller 46. The roller 46 at one end traverses the contacts which are offset lengthwise of the drum 17 relatively to the other contacts of the support 28 including the group contact 48.

The lamps 45 may be arranged in a transverse row 1n a compartment 50 disposed in the upper central portion of the frame 16, and the frame may be provided with lateral compartments 51 extending down the opposite ends of the frame and in which" are mounted lamps 52 for illuminating the compartments. Luminous panels 53 may comprise the front walls of the compartments 51 and may bear suitable data for information or advertising purposes, these panels in the present instance bearing the headings West and East. The lamps 52 are connected in series by a wire 54 which leads from the mainwire 31 through the lamps 52 and back through the wire 32.

In the central lower part of the frame 16 is a compartment 55 carryin a frame board 56 of general diamond con guration. The board 56 is provided with a substantially marginal row of lamps 57 which at the ends of the board 56 may be looped or given any other suitable fanciful configuration. The lamps 57 are connected at one side in series by a Wire 58 which extends from the main wire 32. Each lamp 57 has an individual wire 59 leading therefrom to their respective contacts 60 which are-mounted on the curved support 28 and are in line with the outer end of the roller 46 of the drum 17. As the roller 46 traverses thecontacts 60 the lamps 57 are individually and consecutively lighted and extinguished to delineate the outlines of the configuration or arrangement of the lamps 57.

The compartment 55 of the'frame 16 is also provided, within the confi uration of the lamps 57 with a number 0 horizontal chambers 61 having each a row of lamps 62 therein. The chambers 61 are closed by a front panel 63 of glass or .the like which may bear letters or other configurations to be illuminated within the configuration of lamps 57. Each row of lamps 62 is in series in a wire 64 which leads from the main wire 32, and which lead from the rows of lamps to their respective contacts 65 mounted on the curved support 29 and adapted to be traversed by a roller contact 66 mounted on the drum 17 The three wires 64 are connected to'a group wire 67 which leads to a contact 68 on the curved support 29 in line with the roller 66. The support 29 carries a bracket 69 projecting beyond the line of contacts 65 and carries a roller 70 which traverses a contact strip 71 on the drum 17 which is connected to the ring 26. The roller 70 is connected by a wire 72 in series to a row of lamps 73 and leads to the main wire 32. The lamps 73 are disposed in a horizontal compartment 74 in the central portion of the frame 16 and are covered by a panel 75 which may bear wording or the like. The panel 75 forms part of a wall 76 which extends in all directions beyond the compartment 74 and which carries a circular row of lamps 77 adapted to enclose the panel 75. The lamps 77 may be of different colors and are connected in series to a wire 78 which at one end is connected to the main wire 32. Each lamp 78 has an individual wire 79 which leads to a contact 80. The contacts 80 are mount ed on the curved support 29 in line with the roller 66 so that as the latter traverses the contacts 80 the lamps 77 are consecutively lighted one at a time.

The rum 17 may be provided with an additional roller 81 in. line with the contacts 48 and so as to close the circuits through the contacts at a desired time period after the operation of the roller 46.

In the modification shown in Figure 7 the drum 17 has a roller '82 mounted in a forked bracket 83 the shank of which is slidably secured through the drum by a frame 84. A spring 84a is seated in the frame 8% around the shank and a cross pin 83a in the shank engages the spring to compress it when the roller 82 is depressed. The frame 84 is connected to one end of a conducting strip 85 which lies against the inner face of the drum and terminates against the contact ring 26.

In Figure 8 one of the curved supports 28 is shown having a contact 80 mounted thereon and which is held by a post 86 extending through the support 28 and provided with a binding nut 87 beneath which may be clamped the wire which leads from the contact.

In Figure 10 the contact roller 86a is mounted in a bracket 87a having a shank slidably disposed in a frame 88. A spring 89 surrounds the shank within the frame 88 and a cross pin 90 on the shank engages one end of the spring 89 to normally ur e the shank and roller 86a outward. T e spring pressed rollers 82 and 86a may be placed on the drum l7 and on the casing 15 and on the circular supports 28 and 29 Wherever desired to efl' ect the desired contacts either singly or in combination, and various modifications may be made to adapt the spring rollers and their supports to the relatively movable parts and to the various circuits to be controlled. The various contacts throughout the structure are preferably of spring pressed roller construction as shown in Figures 7 and 10, but for the sake of clcarness the detail elements have been illustrated diagrammatically for the most part in the other figures.

It is of course understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described sign without departing from the spirit of this invention, such modifications and changes being contemplated in the scope of the followin claims.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. A controller for use with electric signs, comprising a drum, a ringcontact on one end of the drum, a fixed main contact in constant engagement with the ring contact, a plurality of peripheral contacts spaced circumferentially and axially on the drum and connected to the ring contact, a plurality of fixed contacts arranged about the drum individually and in groups in the paths of the eripheral contacts of the drum, and means or rotating the drum for closing the contacts in various combinations as the drum rotates.

2. A controller for use with an electric sign, comprising a drum, means for rotating the drum, a group of fixed contacts arranged about the drum and included in independent branch circuits in one side of a main sign circuit, an annular contact on the drum, a fixed contact for constant engagement with the annular contact and included in the opposite side of said main circuit,

and an outwardly pressed contact on the drum connected to said annular contact and adapted u on rotation of the drum to tra erse the fixed contacts and yieldably engage the latter to independently close the branch circuit contacts in the main circuit. 3. A controller for use with an electric sign, comprising a casing, a drum mounted in the casing, means for rotating the drum, an annular contact on one end of the drum, a pair of spaced fixed contacts mounted in the end of the casing bearing on said annular contact, spaced'individual contacts on the periphery of the drum connected to said annular contact, and independent groups of fixed contacts mounted in the casing about the drum and in the paths of said individual contacts of the drum for closing the group contacts in various combinations upon the rotation of the drum. THOMAS J. MAIN. 

